1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capillary electrophoresis apparatus which separates and analyzes a nucleic acid and a protein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently a capillary electrophoresis apparatus has been developed to separate and analyze a nucleic acid and a protein. The capillary electrophoresis apparatus includes a capillary, a power supply which applies high voltage at the both ends of the capillary, an irradiation system which irradiates the capillary with a laser beam, a light acceptance optical detection unit which detects fluorescence from a region irradiated with the laser beam, a thermostatic device which controls a capillary temperature, and a migration medium filling unit which fills the capillary with a migration medium.
The capillary is attached to and detached from the migration medium filling unit during capillary exchange. At this point, because the capillary or a capillary head is grasped by hand or a tool, impurities are possibly mixed into the migration medium through the hand or tool. The migration medium also possibly adheres to an operator. It is necessary to move the capillary by a length in which the capillary or capillary head is inserted into the migration medium filling unit. In such cases, the capillary is possibly broken due to carelessness of the operator. Therefore, it is not easy to attach and detach the capillary to and from the migration medium filling unit.
In order to enhance detection accuracy of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus, it is necessary that the capillary is kept at a constant temperature. Conventionally, a temperature control system of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus separately has a temperature control mechanism which controls a temperature of a capillary detection unit and a thermostatic bath which controls a temperature of a region ranging from the capillary detection unit to a capillary negative-electrode end. That is, the temperature of the capillary is controlled by the plural temperature controller in the conventional capillary electrophoresis apparatus.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-039992
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-166976